Happy Monday! Did everyone enjoy their weekend and get to see the super blood moon eclipse yesterday? It was quite a site. Last week, I started talking about our digestive systems, represented by our spleen-pancreas-stomach and the earth element. Our gastrointestinal systems are a central part of our overall health and well-being as this is the system that transforms what we take into our bodies into usable energy, namely qi. Our digestion equates to the earth element (e.g. the soil/earth absorbs nutrients, minerals, and water for plants to grow and thrive, as our digestive systems absorb and transform nutrients from food and water for our bodies to thrive). When our digestion does not function and absorb correctly, our physical bodies cannot be nourished, and as a result, our emotional and mental health also suffers. Let’s take a look at some of the things that affect our digestion and the earth element.
Clarification of the Spleen-Pancreas as our Digestive System
Before I move any further, I need to clarify the “spleen” as part of the digestive system. This was mistranslated in the Chinese texts as the spleen actually refers to the pancreas in digestion. The texts have continued to use the term Spleen and Stomach to represent the digestive system for continuity, but the spleen as we define it in modern physiology is a part of liver function since, like the liver, it deals with blood-storage. Our actual spleen is seen as a separate lobe of the liver in Chinese Medicine, as it was traditionally thought that the liver was on both sides of our bodies. So when I ever talk about the Spleen in a Chinese medicine context, I am referring to the pancreas. While the Liver, in Chinese medicine, is the liver and spleen. Make sense?
The spleen-pancreas is in charge of extracting qi energy and other nourishment from food in our digestive tract. Most intestinal herbal remedies are directed towards the spleen-pancreas since the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the intestines for proper nutrient absorption. The healthier the pancreas, the better the quantity and strength of the enzymes, which directly affects how well nutrients are absorbed in our small intestines.
Spleen-Pancreas Syndromes – Spleen Qi Deficiency, Spleen Yang Deficiency or Deficient Digestive Fire
The most common digestive syndrome is Spleen Qi Deficiency. When our Spleen Qi (or Pancreas Qi) is weak, we generally see symptoms of loose stools, general weakness, fatigue, and a pale tongue with a thin white coating. Spleen Qi deficiency can cause food sensitivities (allergies), indigestion, anemia, chronic diarrhea, ulcers, and pain in the upper abdomen.
Additionally, those with weak spleen qi may also suffer from weak limbs and muscles, as spleen qi, also called “middle Qi”, moves to the periphery of the body to nourish our arms and legs. The stronger our spleen qi, the stronger our arms, legs, and muscles are. The middle qi also holds our internal organs in place, so prolapses like hemorrhoids, prolapsed uterus, kidney, stomach or intestines are often caused by inadequate amounts of middle qi.
If spleen qi deficiency continues to worsen, it can progress into Spleen Yang Deficiency or “deficient digestive fire”. Deficient digestive fire will manifest as coldness or cold symptoms such as watery stools (rather than loose), aversion to cold weather, cold hands and feet (sound familiar?), clear urine, weight gain, prolapse of organs, a pale complexion, and a pale tongue that is swollen, wet, with teeth marks on the sides (teeth marks on the tongue are very common especially in women or those who think or worry too much).
Dampness, Mucus, and Bacteria
Dampness is a yin disorder defined by overly wet or moist conditions in the body. This concept consolidates many separate mucous, bacterial, viral, and yeast imbalances in the body. It may be caused by the environment we are in or due to poor diet or internal organ weakness. Excess dampness in any of our body systems manifest as:
1) Mucoid deposits or moist accumulations like edema, cysts, tumors, and cancers.
2) An overgrowth of yeasts, viruses, putrefactive bacteria, amoebas, or parasites.
The two conditions above are related since almost all chronic mucous conditions are a result of over-proliferation of microorganisms. Dampness can invade the joints and our acupuncture meridians. When this happens, it is difficult to move, numbness may appear, and when there is pain, it is localized in a one position (i.e., arthritis).
When dampness invades the spleen-pancreas or the intestines and digestive system in general, you will see feelings of heaviness (especially in the head), no appetite, abdominal bloating, watery stools with a thick tongue coating (yellow or white). Digestive dampness is caused by the deficient qi, yang, and fire syndromes discussed above.
The earth element hates dampness/wetness and coldness as this bogs us down (hence the feeling of heaviness) making us slow and sluggish hindering our focus and concentration. This is why you may see excessive weight gain in those with too much dampness in their bodies, digestive problems, or sugar imbalances (as seen in diabetes). Dampness manifests on a spectrum from mild dampness such as water retention to more extreme dampness such as phlegm, cysts, and in severe cases masses and tumors. Damp syndromes include edema, cough with phlegm, rheumatic conditions or arthritis, diabetes, sinus infections, yeast, ADD/ADHD, and chronic pain conditions.
Stomach Syndromes
While the spleen-pancreas deals with proper absorption of nutrients, the Stomach digests our food or literally “rots and ripens” what we eat. Our stomachs need Yin energy in the form of enzymes and fluids in order to digest. The stomach does not like to be hot or dry (as the earth also does not like to be hot or dry), and this happens when we eat too many hot and spicy foods causing us to become dehydrated. At the same time, it is important not to overwhelm the stomach with too much fluids either as this will dilute the gastric enzymes needed to churn and digest food. (Remember how I talked about late summer and the earth element last week as a time and element of balance? This is the same concept. The earth cannot be too wet or too dry otherwise the roots of vegetation will either rot from too much water or dry up from insufficient water. The same holds for our digestive systems. There has to be a proper balance of fluids and enzymes for our bodies to digest and be healthy.)
The stomach syndromes most commonly seen are:
Stomach Yin deficiency – This will manifest as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), ulcers, or heartburn. When there are insufficient enzymes to digest, our food regurgitates back up our esophagus.
Stomach Qi deficiency – This manifests as slow digestion, gas, bloating, and a full sensation in the epigastric or upper stomach region. Those who have weak digestion will often feel bloated and pre-maturely full in the stomach. Anyone have this issue?
Phlegm fire – This is a more severe stomach condition seen in those with prolonged or chronic stomach qi and yin deficiency. Without enough qi to digest, phlegm forms. With insufficient yin or fluids, fire or dryness results. One will see more mental and emotional problems like manic personalities (similarly seen in Heart-Fire conditions – review Heart Fire here).
What you need to know:
- Our digestive system comprises of the spleen-pancreas (or pancreas) and stomach.
- The earth element represents our digestion and needs to be in constant balance in order to work properly. Too much wetness/fluids will bog digestion down, while too much dryness will prevent digestion of foods.
- The spleen-pancreas does not like the dampness or coldness.
- The stomach does not like heat or dryness.
- Spleen-pancreas syndromes include qi deficiency, yang deficiency, and deficient fire.
- Stomach syndromes include qi deficiency, yin deficiency, and phlegm fire.
Up next, I’ll talk about tips on how to keep our digestive systems healthy and happy!
In health and wellness,
Dr Elain
References:
Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford